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President Joe Biden told reporters in San Francisco Wednesday that he would not impose a deadline on Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, until “Hamas no longer maintains the capacity to murder and abuse and do horrific things to the Israelis.”
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing roughly 1,400 people, wounding thousands more, taking some 240 hostages, and committing atrocities that shocked the world. Hamas recently vowed to repeat such attacks in the future until it destroys Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are currently trying to dislodge Hamas from its headquarters at Shifa Hospital, where it has hidden terrorists and weapons, in violation of the laws of war. Israel revealed evidence of Hamas’s use of the hospital Wednesday.
Biden was addressing a press conference at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Asked about Israel’s actions at Shifa Hospital, he said that Hamas had committed “the first war crime” by locating its facilities at the hospital. He said the U.S. had advised Israel to be “incredible careful” at the hospital, and noted that Israel was not “carpet bombing” it. He noted Israel was bringing “incubators” and other means to help patients,
